Boeing ditches plans for super jumbo

United States aeroplane maker Boeing has confirmed it is ditching plans for a double-deck jumbo jet, handing the European Airbus A380 victory in the market.

The move means a boost for the future of the twin-deck "superjumbo" which will be partly built in Britain and is set to create 20,000 jobs in the UK.

Instead Boeing will develop a long-range aircraft capable of travelling at high altitudes and meeting tough noise control measures.

"This is the aeroplane our customers have asked us to concentrate on," said Boeing's president and chief executive Alan Mulally said.

"They share our view that this new aeroplane could change the way the world flies as dramatically as did the introduction of the jet age."

He said Boeing had "looked carefully" at the potential for a super-jumbo.

"In that context, we have had detailed conversations with our customers, and it is very clear that they would strongly value an aeroplane that can fly faster, higher and more quietly over very long ranges.

"When we combine higher speed, longer range, the comfort of flight at higher altitudes, and the environmental benefits of quieter landings and take-offs, we have an aeroplane that will open a new chapter in commercial aviation.

"We are changing our new product development efforts to focus more strongly on this aeroplane that has caused such excitement among our customers. It will be an ideal complement to our current family."

The move is a huge boost for the Airbus consortium, which includes BAE Systems and whose double-deck A380 will take to the air for the first time in 2002.

Already billions of pounds of orders have been placed with the European consortium for the plane.

The wings of the Airbus will be designed, built and assembled in factories in Filton, near Bristol, and Broughton, near Chester, while Rolls-Royce in Derby will the build engines.

Last night's announcement is the end of an 11-year project by the Seattle-based firm to build the plane of the future for which it last year claimed it had secured £3 billion of orders.

It means Airbus will have no competition in a market which is widely expected to revolutionise air travel in the same way as Boeing's 747 did when it was introduced 31 years ago.

The A380 plane will have an 8,000 mile range, allowing it to fly from Los Angeles to Sydney is one trip, while its huge capacity means it will be able to move passengers more cheaply than any other aircraft.

Six companies, given discounts of 30% or more off the £160 million catalogue price according to industry sources, have signed up to be launch customers for the A380, previously codenamed the A3XX, collectively committing to 50 planes.

Singapore Airlines will be the first to fly the new plane, with the first test flight expected to take to the air next year.

Airbus Industrie had predicted that in the next 20 years there will be demand for about 1,500 planes in the A380 bracket - and had expected to capture half of these sales.

Boeing's expected move would allow Airbus to capture all of that market, and potentially double the size of the A380 project.

Under Boeing's plan, the current 747 jumbo jet will be modified to allow it to fly more than 8,000 miles without refuelling, and the plans for a superjumbo will be kept on the drawing board.

"In our conversations, we have received clear direction from our customers that, with continued improvements, the 747-400 family will satisfy the majority of their large aeroplane needs," Mr Mulally said.

"We also will continue to protect the ability to do a larger 747 if and when our customers tell us they need one."